According to a survey of 70 respondents, 85% of Singaporeans believe excessive plastic waste will become a critical issue of national security in the future. 64% of this group worry about Singapore lacking land space for a new landfill. The remaining proportion feel that it needlessly expends scarce oil resources.

Some respondents were unconcerned, highlighting the lack of pollution resulting from plastics here.

The efficacy of the alternative, recycling, has been debatable, especially following China’s ban on imported plastic scrap, which stalled recycling worldwide. Member of Parliament (MP) Mr Louis Ng shared with me that some of Singapore’s recycling was transported to the Middle East; it would not be environmentally friendly to ship recyclables there.

Resource Sustainability Act (for Packaging Waste)

From 2020, all companies must report on packaging data and all plans to reduce, reuse or recycle the packaging. This will lay the groundwork for an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for managing packaging waste including plastics.

National Recycling Programme (NRP)

All public waste collectors must provide recycling services to all housing estates in Singapore. Recyclables are sent to the Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) for sorting before entering recycling facilities.

Proponents of the commingled recycling system say that this increases convenience. A 2014 Sustainability Report by Waste Management (WM) showed that when Madison, Wisconsin switched from a dual-stream recycling to a single-stream one, the amount of recyclables collected soared by 40%.

“[There are] quality problems from three sources: householders putting the ‘wrong’ materials into the collection, compaction of the waste which breaks glass into small pieces and tends to bind materials together, and the technical and physical capacity of the MRF to separate materials in the volumes delivered to them.”

In a survey that I conducted, 62% of respondents said that the government campaigns in 2019 were ineffective. Two of the most popular ideas are listed.

Making reusables as convenient an option as disposables

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) showed that convenience was the top reason for recycling regularly. Similarly, the survey I conducted showed that for those who do not try to reduce their plastic footprint, convenience trumped other reasons. With the convenience-first culture here making reusables on par with disposables in this aspect is necessary in helping Singaporeans make the transition.

Tax on single-use plastic

In October 2018 and August 2019, MPs called for a plastic bag tax.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, argued that it might divert businesses to other less eco-friendly alternatives. MEWR’s also research showed paper bags require greater land clearing and water use than plastic bags.

However, there has been no evidence that this would be a move taken by most businesses.

Charging for plastic bags can decrease use. In October 2015, shoppers in Britain were charged five pence for each single-use plastic bag received. In two years, plastic use fell by 86 per cent. When Japanese lifestyle brand Miniso started imposing a ten cents charge per plastic bag, plastic bag use dropped by 75 per cent. Miniso did not switch to other types of single-use bags.

Conclusion

Our plastic problem is a daily reminder of the indifference towards the environment. For many, throwing waste in excess remains a right, even if it should create wicked problems – both locally and overseas – that no one knows how to solve. Our plastic overuse spills over to recycling contamination, littering and poor e-waste recycling.

That is the most harmful impact of plastic. A common dependency; a mindless consumption; it has cemented into an individualistic mindset that stifles Singapore’s green movement. To begin afresh, excessive plastic must first be swept out of the way.

Terese heads the Bounce Bags Team at Plastic-Lite Singapore.

Citations

Straits Times (2019, November 24). Singapore’s Plastic Problem: Where would your PET bottles take you? Retrieved from The Straits Times website: https://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2019/11/singapore-plastic-problem-pet-bottles/index.html?shell

A survey of 60 respondents was conducted by this reporter. There was a door-to-door collection of results, so that respondents came from different parts of Singapore: West, Central and East. The survey also had a limited circulation via social media. The results of the survey can be found here: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/1y1f

An interview with MP Louis Ng was conducted by this reporter on 20 January 2020.

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